Kansas State athletic director John Currie was part of the Big 12 delegation that traveled to New York before the football season to watch a Yankees game and meet with Pinstripe Bowl officials.

Mark Holtzman, the game's executive director, recognized then that Currie was the kind of marketing-minded AD who could help a new bowl get off the ground.

"He's been very interested in Yankees Stadium all along, even before the season started," Holtzman said. "It's clear he's a very aggressive, forward-thinking marketer. Obviously we want to sell tickets to the game. He knows that."

K-State (7-5) is a candidate to represent the Big 12 in the Pinstripe Bowl, which will be played at 2:30 p.m. Dec. 30 at Yankees Stadium.

As a new bowl, the Pinstripe is targeting teams that can help build its brand. The Big East representative — Syracuse is widely believed to be the choice — will provide some local interest, and Holtzman wants a Big 12 team that can enhance the game's profile.

"We are used to packing this stadium for whatever we do," Holtzman said. "I think we've done a pretty good job marketing on our own. Getting a Big East team with a certain proximity, that's going to help a lot. We want our Big 12 partner to bring some fans, too."

K-State fans earned a reputation for traveling en masse to bowl games during coach Bill Snyder's previous tenure. But those games were played in locales like Dallas, San Diego and Tempe, Ariz., and enticing fans to visit New York in December is a different task.

"There are no beaches and palm trees," Holtzman said.

Still, the Pinstripe can make a convincing pitch. The teams will get the full Big Apple experience, including a cruise around New York Harbor and the chance to practice at NFL facilities used by the Jets and Giants. Coaches and school officials will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, and the teams will have the experience of playing at Yankees Stadium.

"The pope has been here," Holtzman said.

Bowl selections will be announced Sunday for most teams. K-State, Baylor and Texas Tech, all 7-5, are expected to claim the Big 12's final three bowl slots in some order.

The Texas Bowl in Houston picks sixth, followed by the Pinstripe Bowl and the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas. The Texas Bowl may look first to Baylor, which has the best conference record of the three teams and beat the Wildcats head-to-head in Waco.

The Bears also have a star quarterback in Robert Griffin, a manageable drive to Houston and the excitement of returning to the postseason for the first time since 1994.

"Definitely, there's a novelty or a freshness with Baylor," said Zac Emmons, media relations director for the Texas Bowl. "You look at K-State, they haven't been to a bowl game for a couple years. Texas Tech obviously has.

"Baylor definitely has that novelty factor with their fan base."

Location is another factor, though Emmons said the Texas Bowl isn't set on taking a team from its home state.

"Obviously the Texas teams are compelling, us being the Texas Bowl," Emmons said. "But K-State has proven time and again that their fans will travel anywhere to see them play."

Does that include New York? K-State may find out, assuming the Wildcats are available when the Pinstripe Bowl makes its selection.

"It seems like there's a lot of interest in our game, in fans coming to our game," Holtzman said. "We're very intrigued by the possibility of bringing K-State here."

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The Pinstrip Bowl does KSU no good, aside from the extra practice time that goes along with qualifying for the postseason. K-State doesn't recruit the Northeast, unless somehow Ayo Saba has a younger brother ready to pick a college. KSU needs to find a way to get into a bowl game in Texas, where they actually recruit and can be on display in front of potential incoming players. Please, not the Pinstripe Bowl.